Mitat Rasimi murder trial exposes the big names of Melbourne’s underworld
Some of the major players in Melbourne’s underworld had received a mention in court by the time Comanchero bikies were this month convicted of murdering Mitat Rasimi.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Some of the biggest names in Melbourne’s underworld got an airing by the time three Comanchero bikies were this month convicted of murdering Mitat Rasimi.
The trial was one of the most revealing in years and frequently mentioned was Nabil Maghnie, the fiery Middle-Eastern organised crime identity who was shot dead at Epping 10 months after Rasimi was killed.
Nabil Maghniewas not a member of the Comancheros but was clearly regarded as a major asset to the outlaw motorcycle gang.
Witnesses testified that he was an instrumental player in the attempted collection of a $200,000 debt, which was the catalyst for what happened to Rasimi.
The court heard of a menacing-sounding phone call made by Maghnie over the money and a restaurant meeting at which he was clearly to act as the aggressor as the heat was turned up.
His reputation as a short-fuse freelancer was clearly a factor in his role.
Maghnie was at this point widely known to be one of the Melbourne underworld’s most dangerous figures, a volatile wildman prepared to use his fists or trigger finger to get a message across.
There was also evidence from a key witness that he was a source of guns for the Comos.
The name of Maghnie’s former running mate, Gavin Preston, also emerged during the three-month trial.
Preston was in jail at the time of the investigation but recordings from a prison phone call between the pair were played to the court.
Both the star witness, Witness A, and the case’s homicide squad informant, Luke Farrell, testified that Preston was a Comanchero.
This was despite the gunman’s repeated public denials that he was a member.
Preston was murdered in an ambush at a Keilor cafe in September last year in which Maghnie’s son Abbas Junior was also wounded.
Light was also shone on fugitive Comanchero office-bearer Hasan Topal.
Witness I, a violent gangland figure who cannot be identified, gave evidence that Topal, who fled Australia in 2019, remained active in the Melbourne drug scene well past that point.
He said he would distribute drugs for Topal, who was operating on the ill-fated ANOM app, a supposedly surveillance-proof platform police were using to spy on criminals.
Witness I said Topal had previously counselled him after an episode of intoxication at a barber shop jeopardised relationships with his criminal connections.
Witness A would give evidence that prominent Comanchero and western suburbs drug-dealer Dominic Luzza was to be drafted in to settle the debt matter alleged to have led to Rasimi’s death.
His role was to shoot Witness F or Witness L but Luzza never crossed town to get involved.
“I think at that point it had de-escalated to knee-capping,” Witness A said.
Another underworld hard man, senior Comanchero Bemir “Benji” Saracevic, also received some mentions in testimony.
Among them was a claim by Witness A that Saracevic had bought an AK-47 assault rifle.
Gang member Emir Jaha, once described as a bikie enforcer, came to notice in Witness A’s testimony.
He said that Jaha had taken a substantial amount of money which was handed over after the death of Rasimi, before heading overseas.
Witness A said when one Comanchero was dealing ice, he had been ripped off by Jaha.
He said Jaha “smoked heaps of ice” but didn’t pay.
Witness A also claimed Jaha conned a Comanchero into chipping in for a gold chain that he was going to do an insurance job on, but he never did.
Witness A said the pistol used to kill Rasimi had originally come from Daniel O’Shea, a noted underworld figure known by the nickname “Shot Caller”.
O’Shea was shot dead, aged 41, in an after-dark ambush in Fawkner Park, in April, 2019, a month after the shooting of Rasimi.
The court would hear that information from Witness A had it that O’Shea’s name surfaced in the “narrative” of an attempt to murder organised crime stalwart Mohammed “Afghan Ali” Keshtiar.
Also in that “narrative” was Kazem Hamad, a heroin trafficker later to become the architect of fiery conflict over market share in Victoria’s illicit tobacco trade.
It was also alleged in statements by Witness A that the late crime identity Shane Cogley was commissioned to murder Keshtiar.
That never happened and it was not until last year that Keshtiar was murdered, in an ambush in South Yarra.
Witness I spoke of initially making contact with Comanchero connection Yoshaan Vincent, via a friend, along with the late Christian Hamilton.
Witness I testified he and Vincent would later discuss “crimes we were gonna commit”.
Vincent was a large-scale drug dealer once busted with a Russian grenade at his Blackburn property.
Hamilton was once caught with a gun linked to the 2016 non-fatal shooting of sports scientist Stephen Dank.
Witness I said Topal and former Comanchero sergeant-at-arms Samson Bazi had shown an interest in his fighting at martial arts tournaments.
In the end, the Supreme Court trial, presided over by Justice Andrew Tinney, convicted three men over the murder of Rasimi.
The organised crime figure and former Tony Mokbel syndicate member was shot dead in his car on Dawn Avenue, Dandenong, in March, 2019.
Rollercoaster victim launches legal action two years after tragedy
Melbourne woman Shylah Rodden, who was struck by a rollercoaster and left fighting for life, has launched legal action two years after the incident.
Six lives lost on Victoria’s roads during festive season
Road safety has improved for drivers in Victoria since last year’s festive season but six people lost their lives behind the wheel over Christmas — and one demographic remains at highest risk.